The Big Sleep (1946) User Reviews (336)

This was the film in which Bogart became Marlowe for all time...

[Nazi_Fighter_David · 8/10 · 10 April 2005]

Frequently compared with Huston's "The Maltese Falcon" as one of the classics of the private eye genre, "The Big Sleep" is, in many ways, far removed from the former film… Where on the contrary "The Maltese Falcon" has a basically simple plot about the hunt for a priceless statuette, "The Big Sleep" has probably the most complicated story ever filmed… And, more important, where Hammett's Sam Spade was uncompromising, mercenary and a winner, Raymond Chandlers Philip Marlowe was a frequent sufferer at the hands of cops and hoods and in many ways a loser…

"The Big Sleep" almost defies plot analysis… Just about the only part of the film that is straightforward is the opening sequence when Marlowe undertakes a job of investigation for a crippled millionaire whose daughter is being blackmailed… Afterwards it fills up with such a vast assortment of shadowy characters – whores, pimps, killers, gamblers, a dope hooked deb who sucks her thumb – it is almost impossible to follow… Nevertheless let me mention that Bogart was hired ostensibly to track down a blackmailer, but quickly finds himself immersed in murder, and harmonized double-crosses…

The film has speed, efficiency and magnificent craftsmanship, it has wit… and the acting, needless to say, is of the quality one expects from a Warner's movie of the Forties… Bogart witnesses Bob Steele smilingly giving Elisha Cook, Jr., a poisoned glass of water, all the while assuring him that he has nothing to fear; and Bogart's coldly calculated shootout with Steele later in the film… Bacall moves stealthily in fear or shame, Martha Vickers expresses displeasure, resentment, and bad humor, chief heavy John Ridgeley shows anger and Elisha Cook Jr. is furtive…

If the magic, whether it was entirely calculated in advance or not, lies in the absolute congruence of the Marlowe character with Bogart's screen personality, it nevertheless was an important contribution to the Bogart mystique and is usually paired with "The Maltese Falcon" when reissued…

This was the film in which Bogart became Marlowe for all time... It was the only time he played Marlowe, but it stuck… Bogart as Marlowe is a rock of logic in a carousel of shady characters with clear psychological motivations for only partially explained actions...

When it first appeared, "The Big Sleep" was attacked in some quarters for violence and amorality— but beneath its cynicism and toughness there breathed a heart and sentimentality which he1p to make it timeless

Lots of murders never looked and sounded to good

[secondtake · 9/10 · 23 March 2011]

The Big Sleep (1946)

Even hardened film noir and Humphrey Bogart fans admit that this is one confusing movie. It makes sense, but it is edited down to such essentials, and it barrels along with the intensity of a bullet in a smoky canyon using overlapping dialog e and a shower of names, half of whom end up dead, it's really an impossible job for a mortal viewer.

And that's where it's aura, and magic, and legend, lie. It's a great film, and if it's flawed by its excessive velocity, it's defined by it, too. Enjoy Bogart as such, and Lauren Bacall for her sporadic appearances, and for Elisha Cook Jr. for a brief, wonderful splash. All the side characters, even the ones who are clearly only characters, are dripping with criminal drama. The photography is dark but never obscure, the action is fast but never unreasonable, and the lines are classic noir.

In fact, the dialog, if you are paying attention, is one of the gems of 1940s movies--really witty and cutting, and cunning. The movie is brilliant top to bottom, if only you could keep track of what was going on.

Suggestions: Read the plot in the Wikipedia entry before you watch the movie a second time. (The first time, just dive and and get lost. It's too much fun to care, if you can let go.) Watch Bogart's delivery, his physical presence, his wherewithal. Listen to Bacall sing (pretty darned good). Watch the amazing light and camera work (Sydney Hickox) with it's constantly moving perspective and layers of action. Follow the score (Max Steiner) which is appropriately restrained, turning just slightly when Bogart and Bacall are in scenes together.

Howard Hawks pulls of a quirky masterpiece here. You get to the end and frankly don't care too much, perhaps, about the outcome, about who survives and what their futures might hold. But that's fine, too. It might just make you want to watch it again. Good filmmaking does that.

My head's still spinning

[Danimal-7 · 8/10 · 3 September 1999]

THE BIG SLEEP is one of the more entertaining private eye movies I have seen. A dying old man has two beautiful, uncontrollable daughters: Vivien (Lauren Bacall), and Carmen (Martha Vickers). Carmen is being blackmailed, and her father hires P.I. Christopher Marlowe (the beloved Humphrey Bogart) to get the blackmailer off her back. But Marlowe finds that somebody else has done this job for him: the blackmailer is murdered almost under his nose. And as he puts it, "That didn't stop things. That just starts 'em."

I have not read Raymond Chandler's novel, on which this movie was based, but those who have say the title refers to death. That is never explained in the movie. Howard Hawks packs so much plot into 114 minutes of footage that the movie feels like it's bursting at the seams. The story is not incomprehensible as some would have it; while there are many improbable coincidences, there is no element I can point to and say "That couldn't have happened." (Although I'm still not quite sure how Carmen got into Marlowe's apartment). True, the plot really is very hard to follow, and Marlowe's periodic explanations of events, without which the movie would indeed be nonsensical, smack more of inspired guesswork than logical deduction. But the furious pace at which the plot unfolds lends more excitement to the movie than nine out of ten of today's lazily plotted would-be thrillers.

THE BIG SLEEP's greatest strength is its delightfully droll dialogue. When Chandler writes the novel and then Faulkner helps adapt it, you expect some verbal fireworks, and you sure do get them. "How do you like your brandy?" "In a glass." - "You're not very tall, are you?" "I try to be." - "I'm getting cuter every minute." - "Such a lot of guns around town, and so few brains." - "Is it any of your business?" "I could make it my business." "I could make your business mine." "You wouldn't like it. The pay's too small." - "She tried to sit in my lap while I was standing up." Bogie and Bacall get two of the best exchanges; they have a horse-racing discussion where racy double-entendres are dripping like savory sauce off of every word, and they also get a truly hilarious telephone conversation where Marlowe convinces Vivien not to call the police.

But THE BIG SLEEP has a harder side that is also effective. It is shockingly violent for a movie produced under the stern eyes of the Hayes code censors. The movie is too unpredictable to generate much suspense (you can't dread something you don't know is going to happen), but the ending is one of the most intense, nailbiting scenes you'll ever see.

The 1940s were not a great era for film music, which makes Max Steiner's brooding score all the more impressive. The print I saw was very low-quality, so I can't judge the cinematography.

The acting is wonderful. Bogart gets to show his chops at one point by switching off the hard-boiled personality he developed for THE MALTESE FALCON and impersonating an antiquarian bookworm. Bacall radiates class whether she's at ease smoking in a cafe or outwitting a man holding her at gunpoint. Martha Vickers' Carmen strikes the perfect balance of appealing seductiveness and outright nastiness.

One final note: this movie is almost Bond-like in terms of the number of appallingly beautiful women Marlowe accidentally encounters, all of whom seem to have a burning desire for him. Even his taxi driver wants him. Dorothy Malone, whose character name we never learn, plays the sexiest book seller you will ever meet (and yes, she wears glasses; eat your heart out, Dorothy Parker!). Minus fifty points for credibility, plus a hundred points for entertainment. Regrettably, I cannot promise similar thrills for the female audience; it just kind of depends on how you like Men In Suits.

Rating: ***1/2 out of ****.

Interesting DVD Release of the Proto-Noir Classic

[gftbiloxi · 24 April 2005]

THE BIG SLEEP has a reputation for being a film that gets lost in its own complexity and which fails to clearly identify all the perpetrators of all the murders that litter its scenes. There is a certain truth to this: like the Raymond Chandler novel on which it is based, the plot is extremely complicated, and it requires the viewer to mentally track an unexpected number of characters--including two characters that never appear on screen, a pivotal character who doesn't actually have any lines, and a character who is frequently mentioned but doesn't appear until near the film's conclusion. There is not, however, as much truth to the accusation that the film never exposes all the killers: only one killer is not specifically identified, but even so his identity is very clearly implied.

All this having been said, THE BIG SLEEP is one helluva movie. In general, the story concerns the wealthy Sternwood family, which consists of an aging father and two "pretty and pretty wild" daughters--one of whom, Carmen, is being victimized by a blackmailer. P.I. Philip Marlowe is hired to get rid of the blackmailer, but an unexpected murder complicates matters... and touches off a series of killings by a number of parties who have covert interests in the Sternwood family.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about the film is that you don't actually have to pick apart the complicated story in order to enjoy it. The script is famous for its witty lines and sleek sexual innuendo--much of it lifted directly from Chandler's novel--and the cast is a dream come true. Philip Marlowe would be played by a great many actors, but none of them ever bested Humphrey Bogart, who splendidly captures the feel of Chandler's original creation; with the role of Vivien Sternwood Lauren Bacall gives what might be the finest performance of her screen career; and the chemistry between the two is everything you've ever heard. The supporting cast is superlative, all the way from Martha Vickers' neurotic turn as Carmen Sternwood to Bob Steele's purring hit-man Canino. There's simply not a false note to be found any where. Although the film really pre-dates the film noir movement the entire look of THE BIG SLEEP anticipates noir to a remarkable degree--it would be tremendously influential--and director Hawks gives everything a sharp edge from start to finish.

Two versions of THE BIG SLEEP are included on the DVD: the film as it was originally shot and the film as it was released to theatres in 1946. The actual differences between the two are fairly slight, but they prove significant. Although the original version is somewhat easier to follow in terms of story, it lacks the flash that makes the theatrical version such a memorable experience; it is easy to see why Hawks elected to rescript and reshoot several key scenes as well as add new ones, and both newcomers and old fans will have fun comparing the two. The DVD also includes an enjoyable documentary on the differences between the films and the motivations behind them.

I don't usually comment on picture quality unless there is a glaring issue, but several reviewers have noted portions of this print have a flicker or seem a bit washed out. I noticed these problems, but I can't say that they in any way distracted from my enjoyment of the film, and they certainly don't prevent me from recommending it--be it on the big screen, television, video or this DVD. And I recommend it very, very strongly indeed.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Classic private eye tale with Bogart and Bacall in fine form

[DennisLittrell · 8/10 · 12 December 2001]

This classic of American cinema, actually made during the war and released in 1946, got a whole nation of young men affecting Bogey mannerisms, raising their eyebrows or showing their teeth while grimacing, and especially pulling on their earlobes while deep in thought, a smoking cigarette dangling between their lips. It was the genius of Howard Hawks, who directed, to do everything possible to make Humphrey Bogart a matinée idol, including having Lauren Bacall slump down in the car seat so as not to tower over him. With this movie a new kind of cinematic hero was created, the existential PI, a seemingly ordinary looking guy gifted with street smarts and easy courage, admired by men, and adored by women.

Hawks fashioned this, part of the Bogart legend, with a noire script penned by William Faulkner, et al., adapted from Raymond Chandler's first novel, that sparkled with spiffy lines, intriguing characters, danger and a not entirely serious attention to plot detail. Hawks surrounded Bogey with admiring dames, beginning with the sexy Martha Vickers who tries to jump into his lap while he's still standing (as Marlowe tells General Sternwood), and ending with the incomparable Lauren Bacall, looking beguiling, beautiful and mysteriously seductive. In fact, every female in the cast wants to get her hands on Bogey, including a quick and easy Dorothy Malone, bored in her specs while clerking at a book store. Hawks also employed some very fine character actors, most notably Elisa Cook Jr., and Bob Steele, the former as always, the little guy crook, (Harry Jones), and the latter, as often seen in westerns, the mindless heavy with a gun (Canino). Charles Waldron played the world-weary general and Charles D. Brown was the butler.

I was reminded somehow of the old Charlie Chan movies with the dark, mysterious, ornately-decorated interiors heavily carpeted and studded with ethnic statuettes, especially the house on Laverne Terrace that Bogey keeps coming back to, and the glass-paned doors and glass-separated cubicals of his office and others. The atmospheric L.A. created here has been much admired and imitated, cf., Chinatown (1974) and L.A. Confidential (1997), two very superior movies that continued the tradition.

In comparing this to the book, I have to say it's a little on the white-washed side, and not as clearly drawn--'confused' some have said. Of course liberties were taken with Chandler's novel to make it romantic. Chandler's novel emphasizes cynicism, and romance takes a back seat to manliness and loyalty to the client. An especially striking difference is in the character of General Sternwood's younger daughter, Carmen. She is vividly drawn in the book as something of monster, a degenerate sex kitten who would try and do just about anything. She is twice encountered butt naked by Marlowe, once in his bed. Being the sterling guy he is, he turns her away. (Right. I could do that.) Another difference is in all the sleazy details about the low-life underworld of Los Angeles that are omitted or glossed over in the film, including Geiger's homosexuality and his gay house guest, Carol Lundgren. (Of course there was a code in those days.) Bacall's character in the movie is actually a fusion of Vivian and Mona Mars from the book, made nice for movie fans. In the book, Marlowe kisses Vivian, but turns down her invitation for more intimate contact. In the movie, of course, there is no way Bogart is going to say 'no' to Bacall. In the book Marlowe seems to prefer whiskey to women.

Most of the sharp dialogue comes right from Chandler's novel, including Bogart's grinning line, 'Such a lot of guns around town, and so few brains.' Interesting is the little joke on Bogart in the opening scene. In the novel, Chandler's hero is greeted by the purring Carmen with the words, 'Tall, aren't you?' Well, the one thing Bogey ain't is tall, and so in the movie Carmen says, 'You're not very tall, are you?' Bogart comes back with, 'I try to be.' In the novel, Marlowe says, 'I didn't mean to be.'

By the way, the film features Bacall singing a forties tune and looking mighty good doing it.

(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

I collect blondes and bottles...

[zedthedestroyer · 10/10 · 14 February 2001]

"The Big Sleep" is one of those movies I never tire of watching. Bogie, playing Philip Marlowe - one of his finer roles, commands the screen, wise-cracking with felons and coppers alike, giving a few beatings and taking a lot himself. The night scenes are wonderfully shot, with shadow and fog effects being used perfectly. The main reason to watch this movie, though, are the scenes between Bogart and Bacall. Their on-screen chemistry (fueled by their off-screen romance) lends the most weight to the film. My favorite of their exchanges is when Bogart, tied up yet still smoking, tells Bacall to "take this cigarette out of my mouth". And, of course, they kiss. A short while later, she helps Bogie take out a hired killer. Bogie remarks "I didn't think they made them like that anymore." They certainly don't.

"Over Here, Canino"

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 5 November 2005]

The second of the Bogey and Bacall pairings has Humphrey Bogart playing his second pulp fiction detective for the screen. Previously he had done Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and now he's Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep. He's at the top of his game in both.

Bogey's been hired by Philip Waldron to get rid of a blackmailer that's got something on one of his daughters, the amoral and disturbed Martha Vickers. The older daughter Lauren Bacall intrigues Bogey a bit more when she tries to pry into exactly what Bogart is doing for her father. Seems as though a family chauffeur has gone missing a while back and the family is concerned on a number of levels.

The plot glides into the question of the missing chauffeur and Bogart meets all kinds of interesting characters before all the mysteries are solved.

The Big Sleep proved that the teaming on screen of Bogey and Bacall was no flash in the pan success that they had in Two Have and Have Not. They are surrounded with a great cast of players. Dorothy Malone got her first notice on film as a bookstore proprietor. Elisha Cook essays one of his typical roles as a luckless fall guy. John Ridgely is properly menacing as gambler Eddie Mars.

But my favorite in this film has always been Bob Steele as the vicious killer Canino who Ridgely has on retainer. Why Bob Steele wasted his time with two bit grade C westerns when he was doing work like this is beyond me. My favorite scene in The Big Sleep has always been when Bogey blasts Steele after Bacall has diverted his attention. When you hear Bogart utter those words, "over here, Canino" he was never more chilling or menacing on the screen before or after.

Set comfortably within it's time in the Forties, The Big Sleep still packs quite a wallop for today's audience. May you never have Humphrey Bogart looking to nail you for some misdeed.

Classic Noir

[MatBrewster · 9/10 · 3 May 2005]

Read all of my reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.com This classic film noir has very few of techniques generally associated with noir. It contains no skewed camera angles; and though it is darkly lit, it is not overcome with murky, obscuring shadows. The hero is not down-and-out, poor, or desperate. There is no retrospective narration, or flashbacks. Yet, the Big Sleep is widely considered to be one of the very best of this genre. It is a cynical, perverse, murderous world filled with loads of confusing action and unknown motives. It is, in fact, one of the great films of one of the screens greatest actors (for my personal top 10 actors list, click here), and most talented directors.

It was directed by Howard Hawks fresh off of the successful pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall in To Have and Have Not. The two star here again and it is easy to see why they made another two films together. Based on a Raymond Chandler novel of the same name, many people complain that this film is incomprehensible. Somewhat famously it is reported that Bogart and Hawks, after arguing over who killed one of the characters, called up Chandler to get the correct answer. Chandler didn't have the slightest idea, for the novel is rather vague on this point. It's true that both the novel and film leave many plot points as to who did what to whom more than unclear, but there is so much style in both that it's hard to make a convincing argument against them.

A good deal of the confusion within the film comes from the production codes in effect at the time it was produced. Chandler's novel deals with murder, homosexuality, heterosexuality, and pornography. At the time, these things were deemed unfit to show on a movie screen and so Hawks had to hint at them using various subtle methods. For instance, when Carmen Sternwood (Martha Vickers) is found by detective Phillip Marlow (Bogart) in the novel she is completely nude and sitting posed for a hidden camera. Since pornography is explicitly against code, in the movie she is dressed in a silky, Japanese gown. There is still a hidden camera, and its missing film becomes a catalyst for much of the action in the film. We must infer from the exotic nature of the gown that there was more than just pictures of a woman in a gown going on. There are many similar instances in the film like this. For an audience member who has not read the book, they must pay close attention to the subtext, or the film will seem baffling.

Personally, I am very much a fan of the book, and all of Chandler's work. While I appreciate that some of the finer plot points are a bit vague in this film, I also understand that the film succeeds not in the details of the story, but in a sinister sense of style. The film oozes with a dark, disquieting atmosphere. Nearly everyone Marlowe meets is hiding something, and is of less than upstanding moral character. Hawks does a great job of keeping nearly every scene in the dark or in the rain, or both. There are so many characters coming in and out of the shadows and with their own shady character that it is difficult to keep up.

Bogart, of course, does a marvelous job as Marlowe. He seems to understand a lot more information than the audience is ever given. Chandler wrote Marlowe as a detective who sticks by his own set up morals, remaining somewhat of a noble creature trying to stay afloat amongst the muck and sewers of the city. Lauren Bacall does a very good job portraying Vivian Sternwood Rutledge, in a role that is much different than the one in the book. Like many films from this era, they create a romance that wasn't really in the source material. I don't mind though, because Bogart and Bacall really sizzle.

What can I say that hasn't been said before? This is really classic noir at its best. It's got Bogart and Bacall. It was directed by Howard Hawks, written by William Faulkner from a novel by Raymond Chandler. What more could a lover of classic cinema want? More reviews at www.midnitcafe.blogspot.com

Nothing special

[Bored_Dragon · 6/10 · 23 November 2018]

Except for Humphrey Bogart, who expectedly nailed his role, this is just an average Film-Noir. It is considered one of the best movies of all time, but I honestly cannot understand why.

6/10

"My, my, my, such a lot of guns around town and so few brains."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 28 November 2004]

Starting out, I must advise that my review here is for the 1945 pre-release version of "The Big Sleep", which had quite a few scenes redone prior to it's release to general audiences in October 1946. With filming already completed by Spring of 1945, there were two main reasons for the year and a half delay; first, with World War II underway, Warner Brothers felt compelled to get it's war related films into theaters while they were still timely. Secondly, Producer/Director Howard Hawks was convinced he had to re-shoot some scenes involving Lauren Bacall, who was critically panned in her latest film, "Confidential Agent" with Charles Boyer. In the original print, Bacall is presented in a few scenes wearing a distracting veil, and it's her more glamorous side that the studio needed to capitalize on.

Much has been made of the complexity of the "The Big Sleep", and deservedly so. On my latest viewing, I took pen in hand to keep track of the characters and situations. That only helped so much. For example, Humprey Bogart's character, private detective Philip Marlowe is tailing rare book dealer Arthur Gwynne Geiger for his client General Sternwood; Geiger allegedly holds gambling debts involving a few thousand dollars on Sternwood's daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers). Following Geiger's auto to his residence, Marlowe studies his surroundings, and then hears a woman's scream and gunshots, followed immediately by two cars careening out of the driveway. Entering the house, he discovers the lifeless body of Geiger, and a spaced out Carmen Sternwood. Out of this scenario are offered two, maybe three possibilities. First, General Sternwood's chauffeur Owen Taylor is implicated, as he had fallen in love with Carmen and wanted to defend her from blackmail. Secondly, a shady Geiger accomplice Joe Brody may have done it, OR may have chased the guilty Taylor from the crime scene either to retrieve some incriminating blackmail film or to remove him as a potential witness. OR, the spaced out Carmen could have killed Geiger herself, and although this wasn't offered as a possibility in the film, she WAS present, and may have been entirely coherent when the murder was committed.

And this is how the story proceeds. Even more characters are introduced to spin off the original plot, and Marlowe is off investigating the proprietor of a gambling house named Eddie Mars, Brody's accomplice Agnes Lozier, the salesgirl at the rare bookstore, and Harry Jones (Elisha Cook Jr.), a tail on Marlowe who gets rubbed out after setting up a meeting with Agnes that might provide more information to go on.

All of the intrigue aside, it's the chemistry once again between Bogey and by now, Mrs. Bogey, Lauren Bacall that propels this movie forward. Whether just sizing each other up at the beginning of the film, or as unwilling accomplices and possible lovers by film's end, it's the snappy banter and smoldering tension between the two that put the sizzle into this edgy noir thriller.

As if to prove how great an actor Bogart was, this film offers us a glimpse at his incredible range. Of course I'm referring to the bookstore scene in which Bogey portrays a nerdy client seeking information on a non existent rare book. With a mere upturn of his hat's brim and a cleverly positioned pair of glasses, Bogart completely transforms into an almost unrecognizable comic character who befuddles and infuriates the store's proprietress. He follows that up with a walk across the street, and a double entendre filled conversation with a disarmingly seductive Dorothy Malone in a scene that could have lingered into X-rated territory if not for the task at hand.

One could go on and on about "The Big Sleep", and others have, but to appreciate the film's mystery, darkness and noir complexity you'll have to view it. But don't try to solve the case, you won't want to hurt yourself.

Howard Hawks directed classic featuring Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe, Lauren Bacall

[jacobs-greenwood · 7/10 · 24 October 2016]

O.K., so no one really knows what happened in this film (e.g. the actual solution to the mystery is still being debated today, and apparently wasn't known at the time either). It's still a classic, with Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe investigating a murder and a socialite's (Martha Vickers) involvement for her father (Charles Waldren). Her sister, played by Lauren Bacall, gets involved pretty deeply in the story too, which also features a quirky (redundant?) Elisha Cook Jr. performance. There's also a great scene between Bogart and Dorothy Malone in a bookstore. Directed by Howard Hawks with a William Faulkner script. Added to the National Film Registry in 1997. Bogart's Philip Marlowe is AFI's #32 hero.

Part of the reason for the film's muddled plot is the fact that it was completed in 1944, and was then shelved due to Warner Bros.'s rush to get their backlog of war themed films out the door before they became dated, per the pending end of World War II. Subsequently, Hawks' earlier film with Bogie & Bacall, To Have and Have Not (1944), was released, which contained such great interplay between its two stars (who would fall in love and marry in real life), that Jack Warner decided to put this film back in production a year after primary photography had been completed. The script was spiced up and several scenes were cut and/or altered to make it even better than the original, which was never released but can be seen (if infrequently) on TCM along with a documentary detailing the changes.

If you concentrate on the plot you miss the big picture

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 27 August 2017]

I could give you a play by play run down to try and prove that the plot of this Bogie and Bacall vehicle is not one of Byzantine impenetrability, but to do so I would ironically need to present a Byzantinely impenetrable summary to demonstrate the plot's simplicity. I've developed my own beliefs on who did what to who and in what order over the years, and I would need some convincing to change my mind, but I think that is not why I turn back to this one again and again.

Initially, private detective Philip Marlowe (Bogart) is summoned to the Sternwood mansion by General Sternwood who wants Marlowe to resolve his daughter Carmen's gambling debts. But soon Marlowe is caught in a web of murder, extortion, pornography, love triangles, organized crime, and missing persons. No wonder the plot is convoluted. It would have to be so to get past the production code! All along , everyone is telling Marlowe all events resolve around Regan, but Marlowe didn't care. Instead what everyone cares about is that the Bogie and Bacall characters can live on and develop that sizzling relationship in peace. Warner Bros capitalized on the PR aspect of the event of releasing this film and made it less dark and a lot more romantic than the source material and who-killed-who became a side show instead of the core of the film.

What with Marlowe flirting or more than flirting with a book store proprietor, an eager cabby, Vivian Sternwood and her thumb sucking sister (even little Jonesy winked at him once, didn't he?), I'm surprised the private eye had the chance to solve any crimes at all. Bogart's Marlowe was sort of a '40s forerunner to James Bond as a chick magnet. It was adolescent male fantasizing, Warners style. Not only that but this Marlowe was clever enough to indulge in racetrack double entendres with a glamorous, sophisticated looking babe like Lauren Bacall. No wonder viewers aren't terribly concerned if they can figure out the convoluted plot when they can have fun, sexy times with this particular noir crowd.

So stick with this for the clever dialogue, for the atmosphere, for the weird characters, and most of all the chemistry that is Bogart and Bacall. Everything else is just window dressing.

Bogart Miscast as Marlowe, Plot Too Complicated, but Well-Stylized Noir

[jazzest · 6/10 · 29 July 2004]

(A Little Spoilers Included)

For readers of Raymond Chandler, to enjoy this noir adaptation, the first hurdle to conquer may be to forget Philip Marlowe in Chandler's novels and to accept Marlowe performed by Humphrey Bogart. Chandler portrays Marlowe as a private eye with professional ethics and pride, not a womanizer like Bogart Marlowe, who falls for a daughter of his client. In addition, even understanding the values in the 40s, it is hard to believe that Bogart Marlowe can easily attract many women.

The original story is too complicated to be adapted to a film; as a result, the plot highly relies on explanatory dialogues and is difficult to follow. For example, the viewers come to know that someone is tailing Marlowe when he asks Eddie Mars (John Ridgely) if Mars has someone follow him; this information should be given by a picture. The conclusion is abrupt; Marlowe figures out what happened to missing Shaun Regan completely out of the blue (He does so in the original novel, too, but the abruptness is less).

Aside from these problems, the film is a well-stylized enjoyable noir piece. As a prototypical femme fatale, Vivian Sternwood (Lauren Bacall) appears everywhere as if she was a criminal mastermind behind the scene, and develops a romance with Marlowe, while in the novel she does neither of them. These factors make the plot less convincing, but enhance the noir aesthetics. Mars' wife Mona (Peggy Knudsen) looks too plain as a mysterious woman in villains' den; the 1945 prerelease version has a more suitable actress (Pat Clark). The stunning last shot of Bogart and Bacall smoking represents what the film is all about.

The most complicated plot

[maccas-56367 · 4/10 · 13 December 2019]

Are you the mood to unwind with an easygoing classic film? Well if so, don't watch The Big Sleep. This features one of the most intricate, complicated plots I've ever seen.

Bogey and Bacall are obviously a joy to watch and share a wonderful chemistry here (as in all their films together). Their performances are as strong as I've seen. The plot just tries to do far too much. I was so confused that I had to google the plot afterwards to help me understand what happened. It detracted from the film.

It also felt like a 3 hour long film. The Big Sleep was never a more fitting title for a film that despite a complex plot, often felt slow-moving. Yes, it has classic actors performing well. Yes, it has that classic black and white noir feel. Yes, it has memorable lines. But do all those things necessarily make a film enjoyable to watch? No.

Bit disappointed with this one, as it started so promising. After the viewer endures so much confusion throughout, the ending did nothing to satisfy and was rather weak.

Also features a really awkward beat down scene.

Just Ignore That Discombobulated Plot

[Lechuguilla · 30 December 2007]

Many fans of this classic film are drawn to it because of Bogie and Bacall, who do indeed make a deft acting duo. Here, Bogie plays Philip Marlowe, the tough talking, street savvy PI, who has his roots in the crime novels of writer Raymond Chandler. Bacall plays Vivian Sternwood, the adult daughter of a wealthy man. Vivian is just as tough and cagey as Marlowe. And she has a younger sister named Carmen, who seems to have fallen in with a bad crowd. It's up to Marlowe to investigate, and to save the Sternwood family from financial ruin. "The Big Sleep" is a story of blackmail, murder, multiple motives, lies, and all manner of general mayhem.

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are certainly persuasive in their roles. I also like the script's snappy dialogue. For example, in a conversation with General Sternwood, Marlowe responds: "Hmm". Sternwood follows up: "What does that mean?" To which Marlowe fires back: "It means, hmm". Marvelous.

But the film's plot is an incoherent mess. It is hard to follow, disjointed, and has obvious lapses. Further, secondary characters (Geiger, Brody, Mars, et.al.), and their interrelationships, are poorly defined. To some extent that vagueness and lack of precision are fairly common in 1940's pulp detective stories.

The best approach to "The Big Sleep" is to engulf the relationship between Marlowe and Vivian, marvel at the acting of Bogie and Bacall, enjoy the witty dialogue, and ignore the discombobulated plot.

Classic Film-Noir. Murder and mayhem; and a private dick that doesn't quit.

[michaelRokeefe · 8/10 · 15 January 2002]

Howard Hawks directs Raymond Chandler's novel on the silver screen. None other than William Faulkner is primary screenplay writer. Bogart and Bacall star in this grand black and white thriller. Private eye Philip Marlowe(Bogart)is hired by a very wealthy family to protect a young woman from her own indiscretions and along the way there is murder, blackmail, car chases and gun play to deal with. Right smack in the middle of this complex case Marlowe finds time to fall in love with his client's eldest daughter(Bacall). Murder galore does not phase our cool detective with the cigarette hanging from his thin lips.

Flawless acting from Bogart and Bacall. There is a very talented supporting cast that includes Regis Toomey, Martha Vickers, Elisha Cook Jr., Bob Steele and John Ridgely. Then there is the charming Dorothy Malone that sizzles in her short time on screen. Very witty dialogue and colorful characters make this a classic among classics.

Just classic...

[jluis1984 · 9/10 · 7 February 2007]

Considered as a classic example of the film noir style, Howard Hawks' "The Big Sleep" is famous not only for the complexity of its convoluted plot, but for the high quality of its dialogs as well as the legendary coupling of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Oddly enough, the movie's most famous traits were not in the film's original version, and became the result of a series of changes and additions Hawks did to the film from the day when the shooting ended until the day it was released. The original version had less romance, and a better explained plot; it was only after the success of the two stars as a couple that it was decided to add more scenes between them, and "The Big Sleep" as we know it was born. Time proved that the changes were worthy, as now that both versions are available it is easy to pick a favorite. This review of "The Big Sleep" is based on the 1946 final version, as personally I find it superior to the less convoluted original (but definitely less fun) cut.

In "The Big Sleep", private detective Philip Marlowe (Bogart) makes a visit to Gen. Sternwood (Charles Waldron), an old handicapped man who has a mission for him. Sternwood tells Marlowe that he wants him to take care of the gambling debts of her younger daughter Carmen (Martha Vickers), as she is being blackmailed by a bookseller named Geiger (an uncredited Theodore Von Eltz). Marlowe takes the job, but before leaving he is confronted by Sternwood's other daughter, Vivian (Lauren Bacall), who wants Marlowe to find out what happened to their former employee Sean Regan, who simply disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Marlow finds Geiger and follows him home, but the plot thickens when he finds Geiger dead in his home, killed by a mysterious man and with Carmen in the crime scene while high on drugs. But this death will only be the beginning.

Based on Raymond Chandler's novel of the same name, "The Big Sleep" is definitely one wild ride to a dark world filled with gangsters, femme fatals, pornographers and drug addicts; in simple words, the epitome of Film Noir stories with the character of Philip Marlow as one of the genre's biggest icon. The script (by the excellent team of William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman) follows closely the novel's story, but of course, with many interesting changes and additions, most of them being the exchanges of dialogs between Bogart and Bacall in an attempt to cash in in the couple's popularity. It is in this series of dialogs where the magic of "The Big Sleep" is, as the focus on the relationship between the couple drives the movie and makes the complex ambiguity of the plot feel more accessible and enjoyable.

As usual, Howard Hawks' direction is direct and straightforward, letting the dialogs to drive the movie but at the same keeping true to the Noir style of its hard boiled source novel. It is easy to notice that Hawks considered the characters to be more important than his story, as the film focuses entirely on their actions instead of the results of those actions. It is this style what makes the film work, as he makes sure that the many supporting characters of the film receive a moment to shine in scenes of great emotion and juicy lines of dialog. Visually, the film is a textbook of how to make a movie in the Noir style, with the excellent cinematography by Sidney Hickox being a highlight of the movie, and the subtle yet appropriate score by Max Steiner creating the proper atmosphere of decadence that runs through the film as Marlowe gets deeper and deeper inside this dark world.

Being that the screenplay makes the characters the main focus, the performances by the cast are essential for the film. Bogart's portrayal of Raymond Chandler's best-known character, Phillip Marlowe, easily ranks as one of the icons of the Film Noir genre, in a legendary performance only equaled by Lauren Bacall's Vivan Sternwood. Their chemistry on screen was explosive, and Hawks knew exactly how to use it for his benefit. "The Big Sleep" is certainly one of the best (if not THE best) film with the legendary couple. As many have pointed out, Martha Vickers is a highlight of the film, stealing every scene she is in with her delightful portrayal of the wild spoiled brat Carmen Sternwood. A remarkable group of actors make the supporting roles of the film to come alive, each one of them adding their talents to the movie with excellent results. Dorothy Malone and Elisha Cook Jr. stand out among the rest by stealing the small scenes they appear.

The overtly complex plot may be considered by many as a flaw of the movie, specially as it is hard to follow at first and it gives the feeling of constant plot holes. However, this ambiguous way of telling the story is just another device Hawks uses to keep the story character driven. It may seem at first that Hawks doesn't care too much for the plot (and on a second thought, maybe he really didn't), but in the end this overtly complex puzzle reflects what Marlowe himself is experiencing, and in many ways makes the audience to identify with the detective and his work trying to solve the mystery of who is blackmailing who. True, it is certainly difficult to follow the plot at first, but the way Faulkner and company have written the script certainly makes up for this difficulty.

Probably "The Big Sleep" may not be everybody's cup of tea, but personally I think that anyone interested in the history of cinema should give it a try. It showcases some of the best performances ever and shows Howard Hawks, that famous Jack of all trades, proving his talent and versatility in the Film Noir genre. A real classic. 9/10

Splendid Film-Noir

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 4 August 2013]

In Los Angeles, the private investigator Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is invited by the wealthy General Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to a meeting at his house. General Sternwood, who lives with his pretty and wild daughters Vivian Rutledge (Lauren Bacall) and Carmen Sternwood (Martha Vickers), explains that he has been blackmailed by the bookseller Arthur Geiger on Carmen debts in gambling. The general also tells that he had been blackmailed in the past by the scum Joe Brody (Louis Jean Heydt), but his Irish friend and shamus Sean Reagan resolved the situation. Then Sean decided to leave L. A. with Mona Mars (Peggy Knudsen), the wife of casino owner Eddie Mars (John Ridgely), but now Sean has gone missing. Vivian meets Marlowe when he is leaving the house and tells that she had borrowed money from Eddie Mars to pay for photos of Carmen.

Marlowe follows Geiger from his bookstore home and when he hears Carmen screaming, he discovers that Geiger is dead, Carmen is doped and also a hidden camera missing the film with photos of Carmen. Marlowe brings Carmen home and when he returns, Geiger's body is vanished. Then Chief Inspector Bernie Ohls (Regis Toomey) invites his friend Marlowe to go with him to see a body of the general's driver in a Packard that has been withdrawn from the pier. Marlowe connects the dots and is evolved by a complex network of blackmails and deaths while Vivian and he fall in love with each other.

"The Big Sleep" is a splendid film-noir, actually one of the best I have ever seen, directed by Howard Hawks with a magnificent story of blackmail and deaths and stunning performances. Lauren Bacall is the perfect femme fatale and Humphrey Bogart, my favorite actor ever, has another top-notch performance. The plot has many details and sleazy characters and I intend to see this movie again in a near future to "catch" details that might have gone missing. Last but not the least, I found the explanation of the title in Google that means "death" and is explained in the novel. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "À Beira do Abismo" ("On the Edge of the Abyss")

Bogey's rugged and sophisticated charisma....."So many guns; so few brains"

[tim-764-291856 · 9/10 · 29 May 2012]

All the girls/women in Howard Hawk's 1946 Classic 'The Big Sleep' either want to sit in his lap, remove their reading spectacles for or flirt with Humph in one way or another. Even if they don't actually like him, you can almost smell their respect for him.

As we all know, the Raymond Chandler story is both complex and intriguing, but that's only half of it. You can stick this movie on umpteen times (as I do) and there's always bits that seem new and fresh, as well as the those that linger long and deep, like a fabulous fragrance. The story, for me is almost second fiddle, though it could easily be first, if I chose it to be. The period detail, the sharp banter and the suspenseful music, the shady characters, the lurking night-time shadows...I could go on.

Howard Hawks did make some great films and this must rate as one of his very best. It's become famous for helping to cement Lauren Bacall's life-long relationship with Humph, probably the most loved and respected (and no doubt, envied) courtship in Hollywood history. The black & white photography is remarkably efficient and deceptively simple, yet has all the detail and complexities it needs. There's a real art in making a movie flow so easily and naturally.

ALL those who even think of themselves as movie buffs, film-lovers or really anybody, who appreciates a fine film must see The Big Sleep at least once. It does come up on TCM occasionally and it's well worth the effort in tracking down the DVD. Comment Comment | Permalink

Classic Noir Film with gritty interpretation , atmospheric settings and powerhouse filmmaking

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 14 December 2014]

Absorbing and worthy suspense film about blackmails , killings , corruption and strong intrigue . Starred by Phillip Marlowe , a two-fisted and cynical private detective operating in Los Angeles . Phillip (Humphrey Bogart at his high point in his glorious career)'s fee was £50 a day , plus expenses . Then , the toughest Shamus , Philip Marlowe , is hired by a rich family on a twisted case with unexpected consequences . As Marlowe asked by the elderly (and near death) wealthy General Sternwood to investigate an attempt at blackmail on one of his daughters . Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love . He soon finds that the attempt is half hearted at best and the daughters seem to be more connected with the disappearance of strange characters . Marlowe becomes involved with the oldest daughter , a society dame called Vivian (Lauren Bacall) and her uncontrollable as well as addled sister Carmen (Mary Vickers) who seem unconcerned with disappearances , further complicating the mystery . Only General Sternwood seems concerned as mobsters and hired killers continue to appear in the path of the investigation .

This first-rate and entertaining picture draws its riveting tale and power from the interaction of finely drawn roles as well as drama , emotion and moody atmosphere . This classic mystery thriller follows Raymond Chandler's book fairly closely otherwise . Twisted film Noir about murders , troubled relationships , treason , dark secrets , including an unforgettable dialog ; being based on the novel ¨Big Sleep¨ and screen-written by the prestigious William Faulkner , Leigh Brackett , Jules Furthman and the same Raymond Chandler . Eager to repeat the success of To have and have not (1944), Warner Bros. studio chief Jack L. Warner gave Howard Hawks $50,000 to purchase the rights for "The Big Sleep" ; Hawks bought the rights for $5,000 and pocketed the rest. It has a convoluted and difficult intrigue though stars can quite compensate for some far-fetched moments . It packs a good realization , an original script , haunting atmosphere , intriguing events ; for that reason madness and murder prevail . Here Bogart is extraordinary and as cool as ever ; he plays as the tough-talking P.I. , his scenes with Lauren Bacall are awesome and at their best compared to those they shared in ¨Dark passage¨ , ¨Key Largo¨ and ¨To have and to have not¨ . The couple throws in enough sparks to ignite several lighters . This was the best pairing of cynical Humphrey Bogart and sultry Lauren Bacall , a fifth film was planned several years later, but Bogart died before it could be made . Due to Humphrey Bogart's affair with co-star Lauren Bacall, his marital problems escalated during filming, and his drinking often resulted in his being unable to work. Three months after the film was finished, Bacall and Bogart were married. Exciting as well as complex film , possessing a mysterious and fascinating blend of gripping thriller , serenity , baroque suspense in which especially stands out the portentous performances , evocative cinematography in black and white by Sid Hickox and magnificent musical score by the classic Max Steiner . A pre-release adaptation run 116 minutes with 18 m. of scenes re-shot and reused in the official release . And also shown in horrible computer-colored version .

This is first film version of Raymond Chandler's first novel "The Big Sleep". The second was The big sleep in 1978 by Michael Winner with Robert Mitchum , Oliver Reed , Edward Fox , Richard Todd , Richard Boone Sarah Miles and Candy Clark , this remake was released about 32 years after the original . The latter takes place in the then contemporary Britain of 1977, even though Hawks's Big sleep took place in Los Angeles in 1941 . The movie was part of a predominantly cycle of pictures adapted from novels by Raymond Chandler , especially his first four novels , such as Murder, My Sweet (1944) , The Brasher Doubloon (1947); and The Lady in the Lake (1947). It had a revival in the 1970s , the films included Marlowe, (1969), The big sleep (1978), A long goodbye (1973) and Farewell my lovely (1975) as well as Double Indemnity (1973) made for television Chandler was screenwriter on the original (1944) directed by Billy Wilder .

Quite a High Sheep Count...

[Xstal · 8/10 · 18 August 2023]

Here's a film that might tie you in knots, as it untangles with plenty of shots, quite a curious reveal, as the layers are unpeeled, a film noir that's like a dot to dot. At its core is one Philip Marlowe, takes a hold at the start - gets a tow, although why, when and who, will leave it up to you, as the suspects expand, swell and grow. In the end you might give a big sigh, you might even let escape a big cry, but there'll be no big sleep, you won't need to count sheep, unless the coil is released and you die (god forbid, there's enough of that already).

It's a great film, with great performances and you might only have to revisit it a few times to understand the make it up as you go along story.

Complications abounding.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 26 December 2008]

If someone asked me to summarize the plot of, say, "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," I could probably do it easily enough. "Three men go gold prospecting and one of them goes nuts." But Raymond Chandler's plots, of which this is one, defy facile description, let alone analysis.

I understand that William Faulkner is given lead credit for the writing but I can't imagine he had very much to do with it. Faulkner wasn't sober all that often -- "Old corn-drinking mellifluous", Hemingway called him -- and description, not dialog, was Faulkner's forte anyway.

Anyhow I'm not going to bother much with the plot. Half-way through, Humphrey Bogart, as Chandler's private detective, Philip Marlowe, appears to have satisfactorily wrapped up the case assigned to him by General Sternwood. The misbehaviors, legal and otherwise, seem to have been explained to the General and Bogart has been paid off. But Bogart decides to poke around further, on his own, largely because he's fallen in love with Sternwood's daughter, Lauren Bacall, and she with him. If someone can provide a logical link between Bogart's love for Bacall and Bogart's decision to kibbitz in events of no consequence to either of the two, I'd be grateful.

Here's what Bogart tells Bacall in his office. "You're trying to find out what your father hired me to find out and I'm trying to find out why you're trying to find out." Amen.

And -- let me ramble for a moment -- what in the name of all creatures is Geiger the crooked book dealer up to? "Blackmail," somehow involving photographs of Sternwood's naughtier daughter, Carmen, the one who tries to sit in Bogart's lap while he's standing up. In Chandler's novel at least Marlowe manages to get hold of one of Geiger's books. "It was filth," says Marlowe -- meaning pornography. Okay. That at least tells us what kind of illegal enterprise Geiger was involved in. Simply OWNING a copy of "Lady Chatterly's Lover" could wind you up in jail, never mind SELLING it. The "blackmailing" business is a poor substitute because it raises additional questions the movie doesn't answer. Who was being blackmailed for what? There are too many other discrepancies between the novel and the film to bother with. And Raymond Chandler and William Faulkner are no more than popular pegs for the real author -- Howard Hawks -- to hang the story on. Bogart is nearly perfect as Philip Marlowe, just as he was nearly perfect as Dashiel Hammett's Sam Spade in the earlier "The Maltese Falcon." Bogart and Hawks had made one previous film together but this was their last. Hawks didn't like Bogart's horning in on his supernally beautiful new find, Lauren Bacall, and sneaking off for mid-afternoon, umm, assignations.

What one remembers from "The Big Sleep" is not the story but the characters and the exchanges between them. "The Maltese Falcon" at least had the search for the black bird to hold it together. This movie has nothing of the sort. Instead, we remember Bogart imitating an androgynous book collector, a scene that was improvised on the spot, as many of Hawks' memorable moments were. The movie has a kind of slapdash quality to it that keeps it from becoming more than an entertainment. Yet -- entertaining it is. It's filled with little quirky gestures, mannerisms, and apothegms. Hawks has Bogart pulling his ear while he's thinking. And it's a wonder that some of the banter between Bogart and Bacall sneaked past the censors.

A confusing mess of a plot...but who cares!?

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 30 December 2008]

This is an odd case of the film's style and acting being so good that it made up for huge plot holes in the film. Even those who love this film like I do will usually honestly admit that the murder mystery is muddled and made little sense. However, this doesn't really seem to matter that much since the mood, acting and dialog are so exceptional, this seems to be a film that can even overcome plot problems.

The best part about this film, by far, is Humphrey Bogart. His Phillip Marlowe is terrific--sarcastic, tough and blunt. Hearing him spit out great one-liners is something you just have to see to believe and even some of the minor scenes (such as the one in the book shop) come off wonderfully due to his characterization. It sure helped that he was ably assisted by a great supporting staff (especially Lauren Bacall), but even without them this would have been a first-rate film due to Bogey.

The direction also deserves a lot of credit. Howard Hawkes sure did a good job of setting the Film Noir atmosphere. Exceptional camera work, music, lighting and pacing all made this a sit on the edge of your seat type of film.

As for the story, Marlowe is called in to help a rich old man find a missing friend. However, what happens next and all the twists and turns just don't add up to a lot--especially when you find out who did the crime and why. But don't worry--you can actually look past this!!

By the way, although I loved Bogart, I also really loved Robert Montgomery's version of this character in THE LADY IN THE LAKE. While not necessarily better or worse than Bogey's version of the character, he was nastier and more sarcastic (while Bogart was a little more self-confident and tough). In fact, I am shocked this other movie isn't just as famous as THE BIG SLEEP--it definitely deserves to be and would make a great double-feature.

Just because it's old doesn't mean it's a classic.

[igornveiga · 7/10 · 26 July 2022]

With a very complex plot that demands from those who watch full attention to the dialogues and the narrative, a studded detective and some scenes of shooting and fighting totally out of reality.

Humprey Bogart as well as James Stewart, is a reference in noir films, but I confess that in this film I was lost, the plot has many plot twists which ended up confusing me and needing to review the film to understand the story, I believe that the story has characters too much and some that don't add to anything.

Obviously we're talking about a 1946 movie, so it's not possible to compare it with current movies (which are certainly based on previous works) but even compared to other works from the same period, this movie didn't really please.

Despite that, the figure of the ham detective who always gets along is funny in some scenes.

The Big Sleep is a crazy convoluted mess.

[kevintp-11042 · 4/10 · 23 November 2015]

The Big Sleep is a convoluted mess that leaves you wondering, "What just happened?". Although the movie includes impeccable dialogue and incredible acting by Bogart (Marlowe) and Bacall (Vivian Reagan) with a strong supporting cast, the scenes move so quickly it may take several watches to figure what is happening.

Many times the scenes move so quickly, and so many characters are introduced I was left completely confused. There were so many subplots and characters intricately connected, it was difficult to follow. Such as the scene where the Sternwood's chauffeur died, I still cannot pinpoint who killed him. Bogart, encapsulates Marlowe perfectly, and Bacall who plays Vivian Reagan is able to bring out a convincing performance.

The rapid scenes and sudden actions by each character do not really leave any time to process what just happened. The movie does have an incredible score and sound effects, such as the gun shots. But, I was really not able to understand what was happening. Although the cast gives an incredible performance, I really could not understand all the points of the story.

Overall the music works perfectly with each scene and the cast does an admirable job, the confusing plot cannot be ignored. Throughout the movie I was left extremely lost and that really detracted from my enjoyment of the movie.